Model Danii Phae wrote on her Tumblr page thatshe was battered by her ex-boyfriend, astruggling rapper named Justin Joseph aka J$tash. Below is what she said happened toher...in her own words."This is very hard for me at this moment inmy life to express my heart/mind to theworld, but I will say these last few monthshave been the worst months of my life. Iwas dating someone (J$tash) that abusedme verbally, emotionally and physicallythroughout the end duration of ourrelationship. Monday morning on September15th 2014 my life was forever, changed. Aperson I thought and believed I could trust,whom I gave my love/time/energy tobrutally punched me in my face repeatedlywith his fists while I became slowlyunconscious covered in blood in hisbrooklyn apartment bed.

"After he was done he told me to not tellanyone to not tell my friends, He alsostarted to prepare legal action to protecthimself in case I pressed charges againsthim. He cried and became unstable withinhis emotions and was apologetic towardshis actions, but would continue to say i didthis to myself.He then boarded a flight to Japan a fewhours after and has been sending me textmessages claiming he will destroy me evenmore than he already did. He said he willruin my life! I got brutally beaten forconfronting him on infidelity which causedhim to become violent in an instant.Do not interpret this as a cry for help this ishonestly a decision to speak up againstdomestic violence for those who cant dueto the manipulative acts our abusers inflicton us to never speak up and for those whodidn’t survive because of brutal domesticviolence.I will not allow myself to sit in the shadowsof darkness and disrespect myself for nottaking a stand.I am speaking out for all my women!Be brave this is what bravery looks like.

Two teenage Nigerian girls, Rejoice ChiomaIsrael, 16, (centre) and Rosemary UchennaEmmanuel, 19 (right), who were trafficked toBurkina Faso to become sex workers in thecountry have been rescued, PM News reports.The two girls left Nigeria on 11 July with aman who promised to take them toMalaysia via Burkina Faso for a better life.The trafficker explained to them that theywill be given fresh passports and somevaccines in Burkina Faso before proceedingto Malaysia for well paid jobs.But once in Ouagadugu, the capital ofBurkina Faso, they were handed over to aNigerian woman called Onome whointroduced them to prostitution.“The madam told us we will have to do ashawo(prostitution) or pay her N1.2 million each totake us back to Nigeria,” Rosemary said in aninterview in Lagos on Tuesday.They refused and explained they were on theirway to Malaysia and were just making a briefstop in Burkina Faso for new passports andvaccines.“She invited bad boys to take us away to avillage on motorcycles,” Rosemary said.It was at that time they were rescued by somepeople who called an anti-human trafficking NGOfounded by a Nigerian and known in French asAssociation Nationale de Lutte Contre le Trafficdes Jeunes or the National Association AgainstTrafficking of Young Persons (Lutra – Jeunes).During the rescue operation, Rosemary said, shewas pushed off the bike and sustained injury inher right hand and right leg.Before embarking on the journey, Rosemary andRejoice worked at a small restaurant in PortHarcourt away from their families in Imo andAbia States.They lived together and worked at the samerestaurant where they earned about N3,000 amonth.They were there for some months until one day,a man visited the restaurant and told themabout the well paid new jobs in Malaysia.They contributed only N5,000 each and werehanded over to the man’s brother who tookthem on the journey. The journey from PortHarcourt to Burkina Faso lasted about two days.They were then handed over to the Nigerianwoman there who manages at least 30 otherNigerian girls with some as young as 14 yearsold.“They were deceived and trafficked from Nigeriawith the hope to secure manual work in Malaysiato better their future,” said Ochuko Patrick Otoba(pictured left), a Nigerian and President of Lutra-Jeunes, the NGO that rescued them and broughtthem back to Nigeria on Monday after two dayson the road.“But they were surprised to find themselves inBurkina Faso, forced to take up prostitution asthey new trade. When they refused, they weremaltreated and beaten up with injury ofirreparable degree,” he said.Otoba, a human rights activist, said the numberof Nigerian girls who have become victims ofhuman trafficking across the borders of WestAfrican countries, especially Nigeria, Benin, Togoand Burkina Faso is on the rise.“Enslaved, indebted, sold like donkeys, the youngvictims are between the ages of 14 to 22 andthey are deceived by traffickers in Nigeria whoare also Nigerians,” he said.He called on the Nigerian government to embarkon serious awareness campaign, rescue othervictims in Burkina Faso, build rehabilitationcentres to house these victims and beginempowerment projects for rescued victims whoare not educated but need skills to get back intothe society.His own NGO, he said, has not received fundingfrom the government, and had been struggling tocope.Source: PM News

The Federal High Court in Lagos todayTuesday September 30th sentenced 3 BokoHaram members to 25 years imprisonmenteach, The Nation reports.However, journalists were notallowed to cover the judgment.Only lawyers in the prosecutionand defence teams were allowed incourt.A source, who witnessed theverdict, but craved anonymitybecause he was not authorised tospeak on the matter, told reportersthat the fourth defendant wasacquitted.The court, on December 3 last year, barredjournalists from covering the trial of 17suspected members of the sect.Justice Ibrahim Buba made the orderfollowing an application by the Lagos StateAttorney-General and prosecuting counsel,Mr. Ade Ipaye.Men of the Department of Security Services(DSS) had prevented journalists fromcovering the suspects’ arraignment lastNovember 27.The accused are – Ali Mohammed, AdamuKarumi, Ibrahim Usman, Bala Haruna, IdrisAli, Mohammed Murtala, Kadiri Mohammed,Mustapha Daura, Abba Duguri, Sanni Adamu,Danjuma Yahaya, Musa Audu, Mati Daura,Farouk Haruna, Abdullahi Azeez, IbrahimBukar and Zula Diani.The Attorney-General, it was learnt, hadentered a nolle prosequi (Latin for “do notprosecute”) in respect of two of thedefendants, who were subsequentlydischarged.Later, another 11 were also discharged in thecourse of the trial following another nolleprosequi by the prosecution.Only four – the first to fourth defendants –went through a full trial.The suspects were first charged withconspiracy to commit terrorism, illegalpossession of firearms, and being membersof a proscribed organisation.They allegedly committed the offences onMarch 21 last year, at Plot 5, Road 69, LekkiPhase I Housing Estate, and at No. 24,Oyegbeni St., Ijora-Oloye, Apapa-Iganmu,Lagos.They were alleged to have in their possessionthree packets of explosive constructionpipes, 15 detonators, and 11 AK47 rifles with30 rounds of live ammunitions.Source: The Nation

While speaking at the 60thbirthday celebration service for Bishop DavidOyedepo of Winners chapel over theweekend, the GO of Redeemed Church,pastor E.A Adeboye said he doesn’t want tolive up to 100 years“When I marked 70 and peopleprayed that I would be up to 80, Isaid amen. When they said I wouldbe up 90, I said well, amen. Butwhen they said 100, I didn’t sayamen. I didn’t because I don’tknow what offence I would havecommitted for God to keep me upto 100 in this sinful world when acrown of glory is awaiting me inheaven. I wouldn’t mind to be 92though, so that I will be alive topreach when Bishop Oyedepo is80. But to live up to 100, I don’tknow about that” he said

While most children sit inside all winterwaiting for the sun to shine so they can gooutside and play, Georgia Mitchell does theexact opposite.

The five-year-old from Kentucky has a rareskin condition which causes herexcruciating pain when she is exposed to thesun, meaning she spends all summer waitingfor winter so she can enjoy the outdoors.The condition, known as non-bullousconprivate part ichthyosiform erythroderma(NBCIE), causes boils and scales all overGeorgia’s body, causing her to look like shehas suffered horrific burns.However for Georgia’s mother, Misty, everywinter is another miracle for her daughter,who doctors said wouldn’t live past twoweeks.‘When Georgia was born she had scales allover her skin – it looks like she has beenburnt. Doctors didn’t think she’d make it,’she said.

Misty said that having to deny Georgia thenormal pleasures of childhood due to hercondition, such as her wish to go to DisneyLand, is ‘heartbreaking’.They were also forced to take her out ofschool because running around with theother children was causing her too muchpain.Despite this, Misty and her husband Sonnyare determined that Georgia will live a fullhappy life.She said: ‘Georgia is very outgoing and shelets nothing hold her back.’‘She says she wants to be a doctor and wecontinue to encourage her’, Misty added.

A mob on Tuesday set ablaze two men overalleged attempted to steal a commercialmotorcycle popularly known as okada atAkwanga Local Government Area ofNasarawa State.The State Police Public Relations Officer,Ismaila Numan, confirmed the incident to theNews Agency of Nigeria in Nasarawa.Numan said the mob set the suspects ablazeafter being caught allegedly trying to snatchan Okada in the area.He said the policemen from the nearestdivisional command, raced to the area afterreceiving a distress call.“But before our men got to the scene of theincident, the two suspects were already setablaze by the mob while the third suspectran away”, he said.Numan explained that before police could getto the scene, one of the two suspects setablaze died while “our men were able torescue the second one alive”.He however said the rescued suspect diedwhile he was being taken to the hospital.Numan said the command had commencedinvestigation into the matter with a warningto members of the public to desist fromtaking the laws into their hands.

Yuan, 35, has tumours all over her body butby far the largest was one that covered herback and right leg down to her ankle.Doctors have now performed a successful10-hour surgery to remove this tumour,which weighed 55lbs.When Yuan was born she was covered withbrown marks all over the body but due tofamily poverty never saw a doctor.

Ten years ago the tumour on her back andright hip started to grow extremely quickly,exerting pressure to her spine and finallydistorting it.In the recent months the tumour has grownto weigh even more than Yuan, making ithard for her to move.Yuan never went to school and is anilliterate.She earns her life by polishing shoes on theroadside and has become used to the waypeople react to her.

Governor of Lagos State, Mr. BabatundeFashola, (SAN) on Monday promised toprovide funds for any research work on theEbola Virus disease.Fashola made the promise while disbursinggrants to 31 beneficiaries whose researchproposal had been approved by the LagosState Research and Development Council.The governor used the occasion to challengea former chairman of the IndependentNational Electoral Commission, Prof. MauriceIwu, to come up with a lucid proposal on hisbitter kola theory for the cure of Ebola,saying the state government would be willingto provide funds for his research.He explained that professors, Ph.D. holdersand scholars are respected not because oftheir glittering titles but because of theirintellect and what they have to offer thesociety.The governor said, “I was curious about whatwas Prof. Maurice Iwu was doing withelection if he was already doing research onhow bitter kola can help cure some diseases.He should come back and do his workbecause really this is his core competenceand if he is listening to me, I am challenginghim that he will be able to reopen thefrontiers of that research and present it tothis organization.“It is something that I am sure that wewould be looking at. For me, our world ismoving quickly and we must participate in it.We must be visible and active theatre ofthinking and ideas”.Fashola expressed regrets that when thecountry was faced with the problem of Ebola,none of the much talked about probablesolutions came from Nigeria or Africa as awhole, noting that such a trying timepresented opportunities for researchers andscholars to write their names in the goodbook of history.“If you look at the last epidemic challengethat we faced, all the offers and solutions,ZMapp, Dan and all of the possible drugswere coming from the outside Africa wherewe have the problem itself and there arescientists here who carry all sorts of titles”,Fashola stated.

JUSTICE AFOLABI ABDULFATAI ADEYINKA(RTD) CHAIRMAN, LAGOS STATEINDEPENDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSION(LASIEC)Retired Justice Fatai Adeyinka, the Chairman,Lagos State Independent ElectoralCommission, LASIEC, has said that LocalGovernment election would not hold in statethis year due to some constraints.Mr. Adeyinka told lawmakers on Monday at aplenary session attended by some membersof LASIEC that the commission had madesome recommendations to the stategovernment about this challenges which hasnot been approved.He said part of the recommendations wasthe creation of additional wards in the state.The LASIEC boss also said that the currentvoters register needed to be updated becauseit was last used in 2011 and could not beused again by the electorate.“We need an updated voter’s register whichis with the Independent National ElectoralCommission, INEC, and we have requestedfor this but INEC is not willing to release it.“We don’t want to conduct the election withthe voter’s register on ground because itdoes not contain the addresses of electorate.“So, if we decide to use an old register, wewill be disenfranchising some voters fromexercising their rights.“Also, there is the need to create additionalpolling booths to add to the ones we haveon ground which is also the responsibility ofINEC.“Until these constraints are resolved, wewon’t be able to conduct elections into thelocal governments.“Definitely, election cannot hold this year(2014)”, he said.Taiwo Kolawole, the Deputy Speaker of theHouse, who presided over the plenary, saidthat the House could not allow a vacuum atthat tier of government as the tenure of thecurrent chairmen would end by in October.“The LASIEC chairman has told us thatelection cannot hold this year because ofsome constraints.“LASIEC do not have the power to createadditional polling units and they can’tconduct the election with a register that isnot updated so that some people will not bedisenfranchised”, he said.The deputy speaker directed the Leader ofthe House, Ajibayo Adeyeye, to work with theHouse Committee on Judiciary to liaise withthe executive arm of the state and come up alaw pending when council elections wouldhold.Lagos State has 20 local governments and37 local development areas.(NAN)

L-R; HEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL STEWARDSONUH ISAAC MICHAEL (MON), TAXI DRIVER,MR. IMEH USAH (MFR) AND TRAFFICWARDEN, CPL.SOLOMON DAUDA (MON), ATTHE 2013 AND 2014 NATIONAL HONOURSAWARD ON MONDAY.President Goodluck Jonathan has directedthe Minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed to give aflat to the Head, Presidential Steward, Mr.Onuh Isaac Michael.It was learnt that Mr. Onuh, inspite of 30years of service to his fatherland, havingserved several presidents, has not been ableto build a house of his own.The president gave the directive during theaward of national honor of Member of theOrder of the Niger (MON) on his stewardyesterday alongside 312 others at theInternational Conference Centre, ICC, Abuja.Mr. Jonathan also approved a flat each toan honest taxi driver, Mr. Imeh Usah and atraffic warden, Corporal Solomon Dauda, whowere also awarded national honours.

President Goodluck Jonathan hascommiserated with the Emir of Kano, AlhajiMohammed Sanusi II and the people of Kanoon the death of the Galadiman Kano, AlhajiTijani Hashim.Alhaji Hashim, who was considered one ofthe most powerful members of the KanoEmirate Council, died early hours of Mondayin Abuja at the age of 79. He was also theoldest prince in the emirate.In a statement yesterday by his SpecialAdviser on Media and Publicity, ReubenAbati, the president joined people of thestate in mourning Alhaji Tijani, who he saidserved his people admirably over many yearsas a regional minister in the first republic andvery senior member of the Kano EmirateCouncil.The statement reads in part: “The presidentbelieves the eminent Kano prince and highlyrevered community leader will always beremembered and honoured for his laudablecontributions to peace, stability and progressin his community and country.“President Jonathan prays that God Almightywill receive the late Galadima’s soul andgrant him eternal rest”.The president also prayed God Almighty tobless the good people of Kano with a worthysuccessor to the late prince.

A 25-year-old motorist, Peter BolorunduroIgbekele, killed an Assistant Superintendentof Police (ASP) with his car while thedeceased was on stop and search duty withthree others at DSC roundabout Warri, DeltaState.

Peter knocked down the police officer withhis Ford vehicle with reg. number EFR 274XA, Leadership reports.Unfortunately, the police officer died beforehe could get to the hospital.Before his death, the ASP was attached toEbrumede Division in Warri, Delta State.Confirming the incident, the command’sPublic Relation Officer, DSP Celestina Kalusaid the driver claimed to have lost controlof the car.She added that he had been arrested whileinvestigations were ongoing.She however warned motorists againstcareless driving, saying “anyone caughthenceforth will be made to face the full wrathof the law ”.Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Zone 5comprising Edo, Delta and Bayelsa Statessaid that it rescued 19 kidnapped victimsbetween August and September 2014, whileseven suspected kidnappers were arrested.

Fuji star, Saheed Osupa reportedly bought a largeparcel of land which he gifted to each of hisband members who have been with himthroughout his sojourn in music. According toCity People, the four acre of land which islocated in Ota, Ogun state was shared amongthe members last month. That's so nice of him!

60 Nigerian soldiers including 2 corporals, 9Lance corporals and 49 privates who refused topartake in an operation in Maiduguri on August4th will be arraigned before a military courttoday Sept. 30th at the Sani Abacha barracks inAbuja for committing two offenses, conspiring tomutiny and mutiny.According to the charge sheet, on August 4th thesoldiers had refused to join the "111 SF Bntroops" led by Col E. A. Aladeniyi to MaimalariBarracks for an operation, thereby committing anoffence tagged "conspiring to mutiny" againstthe authority of the division, an offencepunishable under Section 91(1) of the PenalCode Cap P89 LFN 2004 as well as outrightmutiny which is punishable under Section 52(1)(a) of the AFA CAP A20 LFN 2004.The charges are said to be triable in the GCMunder Section 114 of the AFA Cap A20 LFN 2004and punishable under Section 91(1) of the PenalCode Cap P89 LFN 2004.The soldiers to face trial today include; AndrewOgolekwu, Saturday Efa, Henry Shaibu, JamesMaifada, Ndubuisi Sabestine, Dauda Dalhatu,Kasega Aoso, Mallam Jacob, Nwonu Friday,Joshua Friday, Anthony Simeon, OlayodeOluwasegun, Tijani Jimoh, Kabiru Abubakar,Mamud Sywasan, James Emmanuel, MulaikaMusa, Magaji Amadu, Amao Bukola, Wuyep John,Oti Kelvin, Ameh Mathew, Olaitan Joseph andothers.Meanwhile a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, ChiefGodwin Obla, is working towards appealing thedeath sentence handed to some of the 12soldiers on September 12th. The Senior Advocatein a telephone interview with Punch however saidthe inability of the military to disclose thewhereabouts of the sentenced soldiers to him isstalling the process of the appeal as they areneeded to sign some document before he can gofurther with their appeal."We have been trying to get them (thesoldiers) to sign for the process; andbecause we have not been able to getthem, we have not been able to completethe process; there are things for them tosign. Nobody has been able to tell uswhere they are being kept; nobody isvolunteering information; nobody has beenable to tell us where they are. We are justhearing that they have been moved to theDirectorate of Military Intelligence Cell inLagos. We will make the move so that theprocess would be filed on their behalf.” hesaidSource: Punch

"Thank God, I can now buy my own bus andbecome a public transport operator and takecare of my family and myself." These were thewords of Mr. Peter Ebunosa, who retired as adriver with SDV Nigeria Ltd. (pictured abovebeing presented with the cheque of N1.4millionby the River state co ordinator of WinnersGolden Bet, Mr Ayodeji Akinosun)Ebunosa, who is in his fifties, recently wonN1.4million through a bet he placed at a WinnersGolden Bet shop in Port Harcourt. Ebunosa, whohas been Winners Golden Bet bettor since thecompany started operating last February, waswinning for the first time.Despite not winning for a while, he said hebelieved that luck would shine on him somedayand it has.He commended the management of WinnersGolden Bet for keeping to their promise ofprompt payment to winning punters andpromised to continue playing on the platform ofWinners Golden Bet.Ebunosa is the second winner of a sumexceeding one million after Whetode James fromBadagry in Lagos State. He wants to buy a buswith the money and become a public transportoperator.

Meet a three-year-old boy who apparentlyweighs 70 kg and can not stop gaining weight,Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Espirito Santo, Brazil.Misael weighed 2.9kg when he was born butevery month since then, he has gainedapproximately 3 kilograms. The poor boy, who issupposedly suffering from Prader–Willi syndrome,now weighs 70kg and is struggling towalk. Classic signs and symptoms includeconstant craving for food and rapid weight gain.Misael eats frequently and consumes largeportions and even then he still feels hungry. Theboy also has serious behavioural problems andhis parents have to hire a private taxi totransport the boy to a local hospital..See picsafter the cut..

Prader–Willi syndrome symptoms includeconstant craving for food and rapid weight gainMisael weighted 2.9kg when he was bornWhile syndrome itself is not life threatening, thecompulsive eating and resulting weight gain canbe. That is why restricting a child’s diet is aparticularly important part of managing theircondition.“And when we walk down the street, people stop,want to take pictures with him, people say thatthey never saw a boy this size.”The boy also has serious behavioural problemssuch as stubbornness and hysteriaAccording to Misael’s father, when the boy andhis parents walk down the street, people stop,want to take pictures with him. People say thatthey never saw a boy this size and want to knowhow old he is, how much he weighs.Although there is no cure for Prader-Willisyndrome, treatment aims to manage suchsymptoms as a permanent feeling of hunger,which can easily lead to dangerous weight gain,reduced muscle tone, learning difficulties andbehavioural problems.

Super Eagles former head coach, Samson Siasiamight be in line to come in and replace currentcoach and his former team mate, Stephen Keshiif NFF’s ideas go as planned.According to Goal, top NFF officials are worriedabout Eagles last two games and have gottentheir opportunity to take out Keshi. The officialtold Goal, “There are many factors standing inthe way of Stephen Keshi in his bid to retain theSuper Eagles job and I will give you a break-down. But before that I must say that Keshi mustbe most grateful to the Honorable SportsMinister,Tammy Danagogo, for fighting for hisretention as the team chief coach.“The minister has never hidden his loveand preference for him and he based it onKeshi’s past achievement which he saidwas more than necessary for him tocontinue his job. The minister stillbelieves that the Eagles under Keshicould still bounce back and qualify forthe 2015 AFCON in Morocco.“But we at the NFF here know that theproblem with the team is more than whatwe are seeing from the surface. Firstly,there is no commitment on the part ofthe players Keshi is parading for the2015 AFCON qualifiers and if somethingdrastic is not done, Nigeria may not beamong those nations that wouldcampaign in Morocco 2015.”He also went into details and explained thatmajority of the executive committee are nowpissed off with Keshi’s behavior and disrespecttowards them and they want a coach who wouldlisten to their demands and respect them as hisemployers.“They have also not forgotten in a hurry the waythe former Eagles captain allegedly humiliatedthe Aminu Maigari Board members during theAfrica Cup of Nations which Nigeria won in SouthAfrica and felt highly disappointed with the waythe coach received all the accolades and praisesfrom all and sundry without mere mention of theNFF Board and Secretariat.We all know how Keshi threatened to dump theteam in South Africa shortly after the Eagles wonthe 2013 AFCON.The controversies generated by this singularaction put the NFF in a bad light and so manyother crises including the players threatening notto play one of the qualifying matches for the lastWorld Cup as well as during the World Cupproper when the players demanded for theirbonuses. These crises put negative mark on theNFF.”Eagles have come under huge criticisms aftertheir home loss to Congo and drawing away toSouth Africa and now left trailing with only 1point from a possible 6 despite being thedefending champions of Africa.

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State onMonday said the government would follow dueprocess in the investigation of the September12th building collapse at the Synagogue Churchof Nations, Ikotun, near Lagos.Fashola made the statement while receivingmembers of the Nigerian Institute of TownPlanners in Ikeja.He said the government would not yield topressure from some Nigerians, who wantedimmediate action on the incident but would actmethodically on the issue.Fashola said most of the pronouncements madeon the incident did not reflect what actuallyhappened and called on people to stop makingcomments that could confuse the situation.“On this issue, we are going to act methodically.We are going to act in a civilized manner. This iswhat we discussed at the State Executive Counciltoday.“We are not going to, without evidence, say thisperson has done wrong. Investigations arealways painstaking and are done throughscientific processes.“This is the way that every civilized societydevelops. And we must assume that all thenecessary provisions of law will be compliedwith. That is our track record here and nothingless will happen in this case,” he said.Fashola described NITP as the state’s partner inprogress and said his administration wouldcontinue to work with the association in endingthe menace of building collapse in the state.Steve Onu , NITP National President, commendedFashola for his many interventionist strides in thestate.He said the association would continue topartner with the state in the area ofinfrastructural planning and environmentaldevelopment.On the Synagogue building collapse, Onu urgedthe state government to ensure that a thoroughinvestigation was carried out to unearth theculprits of the disaster.“This is a good opportunity at getting insight intothe incidence of building collapse and knowwhether it happened by technical or naturaloccurrence,” he said.

Talented music stars on a track! 2face idibia andstar boy Wizkid are both on another level.This week promises to be an exciting one formusic fans, with 2Face and Wizkid finally set torelease their 1st ever collaboration! The songtitled “Dance Go” will premiere on Thursday.Watch out!

Lagos state is currently training 80 women todrive commercial LAGBUS buses, popularlyknown as “BRT”.Mass transportation firm, LAGBUS AssetManagement is conducting the training, Punchreports.The managing director of the company,Babatunde Disu, stated that the inclusion ofwomen in the training program constituted a partof the state’s efforts to provide equalemployment opportunities for females in Lagos.We will first train them to drive a car,then we will train them to drive a busafter which they will learnt how to drivethe big bus. We have signed agreementwith a driving training school to trainthem on how to drive a car and a smallbus. Then they will get transferred to ourown driving school where they will betrained on how to drive a bus,” saidGeneral Manager of Fleet Operation forLAGBUS, Seyi Osiyemi.The training process will last from between 3 to6 months.

The President of the Christian Association ofNigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, yesterday brokehis silence over the $9.3m arms deal scandal inwhich his private jet was used to carry the hugesum of money out of Nigeria to South Africa.Speaking at the National Executive Councilmeeting of CAN at the National Christian Centerin Abuja, Pastor Oritsejafor absolved himself ofany wrong doing, saying he would never doanything that would tarnish the image of JesusChrist"I wish to assure you that I will not doanything to tarnish the image of JesusChrist or compromise the divine standardof the church. As you are all aware, themedia has been awashed in the past fewdays about an unfortunate incidentinvolving the movement of funds fromNigeria to South Africa. In the unfortunatenews reports, attempts have been made tolink me directly with the transaction. So far,I have refrained from making any directpublic response pending the time that Iwould have briefed the leaders of thechurch and explained my position on theissues to them.I believe that the primary institution that Iowe any explanation to is the church. Atthe risk of being seen to be defendingmyself, I wish to confirm to thedistinguished leaders of the church that theBombardier Challenger 601 aircraft inquestion is mine. The aircraft waspresented to me as a gift by members ofour congregation and ministry partnersworldwide at my 40th anniversary of mycall into the ministry. May I be permitted tostress that the aircraft was not given to meby the President of Nigeria, neither was it asettlement for any political favour orpatronage. With the benefit of hindsight, thePresident of the country was a guest in ourchurch during the anniversary celebrationwhen the jet was presented to me. This hasconstrued an implication that it was a giftfrom the President of the country. ThePresident of Nigeria has nothing to do withthe gift of the aircraft. By the way, I stillwonder why all those saying this cannotcome out to show proof so that the mattercan be put to rest once and for all. Let mesay that this might be an issue of the courtin the near future ”he saidHe said he was also shocked and distressed atfinding out what the private jet which he leasedto the company managing it used it for, addingthat there is a war being waged against thechurch in Nigeria"Based on this, I leased the aircraft onAugust 2, 2014, to a company to run it. Itwas the lease that entered into anagreement with the people who carried outthe transfer of funds. Having leased theaircraft to the Green Coast ProduceCompany Limited, any transactionundertaken with the aircraft can no longerbe attached to me. Inasmuch as I amshocked and distressed by the incident, Iwish to appeal to Christians in Nigeria toremember that a war has been wagedagainst the Nigerian church. This war isbeing fought on many fronts and thisunfortunate incident is another dimension inthe assault against the church." He saidHe went further to state that;"The media hype and the deliberatedistortion of information that followed itconfirmed that forces that desperatelydesire to cause division and disunity in thechurch are at work. Even the devil knowsthat a house that is divided cannotstand. As Christians, we need unity in thechurch now more than ever. We arewitnessing inhuman attacks by religiousextremists against Christians in thenorthern part of the country, while christianinfrastructure is being destroyed inhundreds. If we permit the enemy divide us,our chances of corporate survival shall beseverely threatened. Distinguished leadersof the church, please permit me to stateclearly before God and before all of youhere present today, that I am not a party tothe movement of $9.3m from Nigeria toSouth Africa to purchase arms andammunition. I am not part of the deal. Iknow nothing about it.” he said

Ebola virusThe Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola,says the government is prepared to providefunding for any research endeavour that can leadto finding a cure for the Ebola Virus Disease.The governor, who challenged scholars in thecountry to move beyond earning titles tocontributing meaningfully to the development ofNigeria, spoke on Monday during thedisbursement of grants to 31 beneficiaries.The beneficiaries are those whose researchproposals have been approved by the LagosState Research and Development Council.The governor urged Prof. Maurice Iwu to comeup with a lucid proposal on his Bitter Kolatheory, adding that the government would bewilling to sponsor it.Fashola said, “Ph.D holders and scholars arerespected not because of the finery of their titles,but because of their intelligence and what theyhave to offer the society. The state has taken agiant step by disbursing research grants toscientists and researchers who have proposalson what can move our society forward.“I am curious about Prof. Maurice Iwu’s researchon how Bitter Kola can help cure some diseases.I am challenging him that he should reopen thefrontiers of that research and present it to us. Itis something that we would be looking at.”The governor said it was disappointing thatwhen the country was faced with the problem ofEbola, none of the much talked about probablesolutions came from Nigeria or Africa. He addedthat Ebola scourge presented opportunities forresearchers and scholars to write their names inthe book of history.“If you look at the last epidemic challenge thatwe faced, all of the offers and solutions ─ ZMappand Dan ─ among others, came from outsideAfrica where the problem is. And we havescientists here who carry all sorts of titles.“This is the time to earn your titles. All the Ph.Dand professors must now live up to their names.There will be no more excuses. I don’t have evenmasters, I am ordinary. We must know thepeople that have contributed to the developmentof our country ─ Not all these awards that aregiven, all these doctorates that have not reallyadvanced our development,” he said.Earlier, the Chairman of the state researchcouncil, Prof. Olufemi Bamiro, said the grantranged between N3m and N5m per beneficiary.

The scene of the accidentThe Police have arrested the hit-and-run driver,Kasali Mustapha, who knocked down two womenworking with Lagos Waste Management Agency,killing one and injuring the other.PUNCH Metro had reported on September 9 thatthe driver had rammed into the highway cleanersalong Iyana Oworo Expressway, in the Sura areaof the state on a Monday morning shortly afterthey resumed duty for the day.It was reported that one of the victims, LateefatSulyman (popularly called Iya Tawa), died on thespot while her colleague, Fatimoh Ajetunmobiwas rushed to a general hospital.Our correspondent on Monday gathered thatAjetunmobi, whose condition an eyewitness haddescribed as critical, eventually died at thehospital.It was also learnt that the suspect, whose carnumber plate, KRD 864 CM, was recovered at thescene of the accident, was tracked down by ateam constituted by the Commissioner of Policeand was handed over to the Adeniji Adele PoliceStation.While briefing PUNCH Metro on the development,the LAWMA General Manager, Mr. Ola Oresanya,said the state government through the AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner of Justice, Ade Ipaye,had taken up the matter.Oresanya added that the culprit was likely to becharged with murder to a court.“We really appreciate the efforts of the police forensuring that the driver was eventually arrested.The state government is on top of the matter.The Attorney General is on the case and the manis likely to be charged with murder because heran away after the incident. That shows he did itintentionally,” he said.Attempts to get the reaction of the Lagos StatePolice Spokesperson, Kenneth Nwosu, provedabortive as calls made to his mobile phone rangout.However, a police source, who craved anonymitybecause he was not authorised to speak with thepress, told our correspondent that the driver hadbeen arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’sCourt on four counts bordering on recklessdriving and murder.He said, “The driver has been charged to courton four counts of dangerous driving, failure tostop and report the accident and causing ofdeaths.He was admitted to bail in the sum of N100,000with two sureties who must be governmentofficials and must have five years tax clearance.The case was adjourned till October 21, 2014.”

Asiwaju Bola TinubuA former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju BolaTinubu, says there is a need for the country toundergo a “common sense” revolution.Tinubu, who is a national leader of the AllProgressives Congress said the many years ofmisrule by successive Peoples Democratic Partypresidents had continued to sink the countryfurther into crisis.The former governor said this in a statementtitled ‘A Return to Decency’, on Monday.He described the 16 years of PDP rule at thefederal level as a period of steady decline intodisaster.He said, “The longer they rule, the less benefitthe people derive. Nigeria now needs a ‘commonsense revolution,’ a revolution that calls forth areturn to decency, probity, transparency ofprocess and fairness in outcome.“This is done not by subterfuge, divide and ruleand turning Nigeria in a field of discord or astreet of broken institutions. It is accomplishedby honouring the principles of democratic goodgovernance and economic justice. It is done bypersuading the people they are better off as oneinstead of better off tearing at one another’sthroats.“Nigerians should be prepared for change. Wemust rescue Nigeria from those set to cause itirreparable harm. The change I talk about is theonly route to our deliverance from 16 years ofthe PDP locusts. Nigeria is ours to keep and itsdemocracy is ours to save.”He advised that this year’s Independence Dayshould be a time of sober reflection becauseother countries that received independence at thesame time as Nigeria had since surpassed thecountry.He described the Nigeria of today as thenightmare of its founding fathers. Tinubu furtherberated the PDP-led Federal Government of usingreligion to divide Nigerians.He said, “We commemorate this IndependenceDay because the nation has survived despite itsmany challenges. We dare not celebrate becausethe nation has not flourished as it should. Fiftyfour years our national trek began with hope andpromise, peace and unity.“Today, the nation staggers beneath the weightof trouble multiplied by hardship. Peace andunity seem to have yielded the moment toviolence and discord. We exist as a political uniton a map but we do not prosper as brothers andsisters in one nation, under one flag andpursuant to one accord.”“Never has an elected government in Nigeriaemployed religion as a tool to divide the people,setting Nigerian brother against brother in amanner that allows this administration tofunction at the basest level of governance whileseeking to establish a political domination thatseeks no greater purpose than its self-perpetuation.”He described attempts to stigmatise andphysically intimidate the APC and themilitarisation of elections as features of aperverse democracy.He described President Goodluck Jonathan’stransformation agenda as an avenue to siphonfunds through a dubious blueprint.“They do not have a national blueprint or vision.They do have a blueprint and vision for excessiveself-enrichment. Their equation is simple: Youwork, they feast. You toil, they grow fat. Youseek a decent wage; they pilfer the collectivetreasury to enjoy a king’s ransom,” he said.He said rather than promote religious toleranceand harmonious living, Jonathan’s governmentbelieves its electoral chances are enhanced bypromoting ethnicism, internal divisions andreligious suspicion but “successful nations arenot built this way, have we not learned thelesson that we paid the high price of civil war tolearn.”

The fact that no Nigerian university ranks amongthe top 10 in Africa should be a source ofconcern to all.As Nigeria celebrates its 54th anniversary as asovereign nation on Wednesday (tomorrow), it isnot only time again to click the glasses incelebration, it is also an occasion to appraisedevelopment in every sphere of the nation’s life.For the education sector, the evaluation willattract mixed commentaries. For instance, whilegovernment officials and their allies will givekudos to the authorities for a well-deservedjourney so far, especially with significantincrease in school enrolment, increased numberof universities, polytechnics, colleges ofeducation, and greater private sectorparticipation, those on the other side of thedivide will point to the lapses in the sector.The latter will easily point to the policy flip-flops,underfunding, frequent industrial actions, and therecent attacks on schools, among others, as thehallmark of the sector. According to a professorof Political Science and International Affairsscholar, Kayode Soremekun, there is not much tocelebrate in the area of education as the countrycommemorates another independenceanniversary.He says, “I do not think that we have done well,especially in the public realm. As far as I amconcerned, the public dimension of nation’seducation system has collapsed. For instance,the frequent mass failures recorded in the WestAfrican Senior School Certificate Examination tella lot about the decay at the secondary level. Thecountry’s primary and secondary schools are nolonger what they used to be.“If you look at the university level, there is still asimilar decline in standard. More alarmingly, therecent warning by the National UniversitiesCommission Executive Secretary, Prof JuliusOkojie, urging vice-chancellors to avoid creatingpositions for roadside professors is anotherpointer to the decline in the sector. Therefore,you can see that between the primary schoolsand the universities in the country, there is acrisis.”Beyond Soremekun’s statement, analysts alsopoint to the 2014 University Web rankings forAfrican universities, saying it is not cheeringnews for a country that has attained the goldenage. Indeed, going by the rankings, no Nigeriantertiary institution is among the top 10universities on the continent.Where South Africa and Egypt shine, dominatingthe best rankings portfolio and occupying thechoicest of positions, Nigeria, the mostpopulated black nation in the world has its bestin the University of Ilorin, which occupies the20th position in Africa. In fact, going by thisyear’s rankings, only 10 Nigerian universities areamong the first 100 tertiary institutions on thecontinent.South Africa, where apartheid regime ended in1990, not only occupies the first position withthe University of Cape Town, it also has sevenother universities in the first 10-bracket table.Egypt has two – the Cairo University, Giza andthe American University, Cairo – in the first 10best ivory towers on the continent.Some of the criteria for receiving favourablerankings are student population, university’sability to attract foreign students, number ofNobel laureates, lecturers’ publications andinternational journals, web presence of theinstitutions as well as their capability to attractgrants. Compared to several other universitiesabroad, many believe that Nigerian institutionsclearly lag behind as far as these factors areconcerned.But some stakeholders are also quick to notethat many lecturers and non-academic workersin the tertiary institutions also conductthemselves in ways that deal professionalism abig blow. In many of the institutions, there are,for instance, lecturers who rely on obsolete noteswhile others are so lazy and exploitative thatthey place premium on handouts.

Besides, analysts allege that some engage inexamination malpractice, while others are adeptat sexual harassment of students. Of course,some play all kinds of politics while pursuinghigher degrees like the PhD. And evenprofessorship. Analysts are thus worried thateven if all infrastructure were in place, it wouldstill be difficult if such elements were not weededout.So, as the popping of champagne goes on incommemoration of Independence Day, analystswant to know why a country considered to havethe biggest economy on the continent is notdoing well in the education sector, 54 years after.They want to know why Nigeria’s no fewer than129 universities, comprising 40 federal, 38 stateand 51 private institutions, are not receiving thebest of assessment in Africa. They also botherwhy many Nigerians prefer the United States,United Kingdom and many neigbouring WestAfrican countries as safe havens to pursue theireducation.For the Ibadan zonal Coordinator of theAcademic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. NasirAdesola, the reasons for the poor rankings areobvious, considering the frequent strikes,inadequate funding and policy inconsistency,among others, rocking the sector.He notes, “Sincerely, we are not faring well at all.We have not achieved the desired level ofdevelopment in all the sectors. For the fact thatthings are still as bad, the immediate implicationis that our education has not translated into thedevelopment of the country and this is a thing ofconcern. Within this same period, I mean 54years of independence; many Asian nations havehad beautiful turnaround in their countries. Itmeans that we really need to sit down and lookat our system again.“What the Federal Government should do is toappraise the system and set a target for Nigerianuniversities to endeavour to attain a certainposition in the rankings. It should focus on howto move the nation’s schools up the ladder, andnot paying lip service to education.”Indeed, last year alone, the strike called by theAcademic Staff Union of the universities resultedin the shutting of the gates of the nation’s publicuniversities for 169 days. The teachers werekicking against the non-implementation of anagreement the Federal Government signed withthem in 2009, as well as the non-payment oftheir earned allowances.The polytechnic system, where the President,Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Mr.Chibuzo Asomugha belongs, the sub sector hasnot fared better, either. Though ASUP suspendedits over eight months strike on compassionateground last July, almost three months after, theFederal Government has yet to resolve thelingering issues. The same scenario plays out atthe nation’s colleges of education. Teachers inthe colleges have a myriad of unresolved issuesto sort out with the authorities in the last 10months.It is not surprising, therefore, why the ASUPPresident also agrees with Soremekun andAdesola that it is not Uhuru yet for the sector.Asomugha declares, “If I were to assess thenation as an examination paper, I would not giveit a pass mark. Given the potential of thecountry, where we are after 54 years, in truth, wecannot be adjudged as progressing.”Besides education, he believes that more needsto be done in all spheres of the nation’s life. Headds, “A cataclysmic serial leadership failure haskept the nation crawling for 54 years. Allsegments of society have performed within thefailure range: education, defence, health, security,unity, infrastructure, youth employment, amongothers. It is easy to share the sentiments ofcertain discernible figures in society that Nigeriais more or less a failed state. Yet the potentialthat can turn the nation’s fortunes aroundabound.”

Apart from strikes, the nation’s universitysystem, nay the entire education sector, has theproblem of inadequate funding hanging on itsneck like an albatross. In fact, analysts arguethat since independence, the best the sector haswitnessed in terms of funding is 13 per cent,which, they add, is a far distance from the UnitedNations Children Education Fund’s 26 per centrecommendation.According to them, the troubled funding is at theheart of the problems besetting the sector. Forthem, the inadequate funding is at the source ofthe frequent industrial actions, dearth ofinfrastructure, abandoned and dilapidatedbuildings, lack of well-trained personnel,ineffective teaching methods, inadequatecurricula and, above all, the fallen standard ofeducation in the country.But, proffering solution on how to alter thesituation, Soremekun, a former Obafemi AwolowoUniversity, Ile-Ife, Osun State lecturer, says, “Allwe need to do is to go back to the basics. Weneed to ask ourselves what has really gonewrong. You see, the western world thrives mainlybecause of its knowledge structure. Thatknowledge structure is not yet in our country. Sowe need to map out our own structure.”The ASUU helmsman Adesola agrees withSoremekun. He notes that beyond criticising thegovernment, the union is leading otherstakeholders in planning an education summitlater in October as a way of addressingpractically some of the salient but festeringissues bogging down the nation’s education atthe tertiary level.Similarly, Asomugha believes that not all hope islost yet. He says, “We need to muster thecollective will driven by a focused and selflessleadership to maximise the depth of possibilitiesat our finger tips in order to develop not just thetertiary sector but also the nation at large.”

Despite the irregular power supply that hasbecome our lot as a country, the truth is thatrefrigeration is still one of the simple ways wepreserve food, fruit and vegetables.Whether as a working woman, stay-at-homemom or self-employed, it’s absolutely impossibleto meet the family’s food needs without thebalancing act that refrigeration provides.For very busy women who are always on the go,it may take the form of cooking assorted stewsand other foods such as beans and jollof ricethat will last a week, and refrigerating them.That way, whenever any member of the familyarrives home, all that needs to be done is totake your portion and warm it up either in themicrowave or on an open stove.Refrigeration allows us to have food in a jiffywithout the usual hassles that go with theprocess of initial cooking. Again, it helps inslowing down microbial activities and chemicalchanges that would have resulted in foodsgetting spoilt.Any food can be refrigerated, as refrigerationkeeps foods fresh and also preserves, keepingthem away from air-bone food contaminants andinsects such as cockroaches, fruit flies andhouseflies.According to Consultant Nutritionist, Dr. SimeonOladimeji, when you refrigerate foods, you areable to store them for a long time, and theprocess protects your food from microbes.“Refrigeration keeps foods, vegetables and fruitscool and thus protects them from heat anddirect sunlight.“It prevents food from getting spoilt and alsoprotects them from insects and rodents. In fact,freezing stops the multiplying ofmicroorganisms,” Oladimeji notes.Again, the opportunity to freeze your foodsmakes you to buy items in bulk when they are onsale and thus enable you to save money.Despite all these great advantages of foodrefrigeration, though, there are many downsidesto it, too, especially when you keep your foods,fruits and vegetables for too long in the freezeror refrigerator.For one, the nutritionist warns, foods that staytoo long in the refrigerator or chest freezer hardlytaste quite as good as when fresh. “This isbecause, in the case of certain foods such asbeef, fish, vegetables or fruit, except you’re sureof their freshness at the time of purchase, youmay not bank too much on their preservationthrough refrigeration,” Oladimeji says.He adds, “When freezing meat, ice crystals formand cause the cells of the meat to break downand result in loss of moisture.”He notes that more often than not, even whenwe buy foods freshly from the market, we makethe mistake of driving around with them —sometimes from the market to the office wherewe allow the foods to sit in car booth forextended period of time.He says we should be mindful of the fact thatonce removed from their natural habitat, foodsstart degrading, whether cooked or not. So, evenif you later refrigerate the foods, much damagehas been done to them already and in a matterof a day or two, you will see the result.He says the same goes for foods bought in thesupermarket where the temperature in the foodaisle is usually cooler than it is in any other areaof the supermarket.“Immediately you bring out the food from thesupermarket fridge or freezer, it begins to thaw.And as you continue to shop around, the processcontinues at rapid stage. By the time you makethe payment at the check-out counter and hitthe road, the temperature in the car continueswhere the outside temperature stopped.“So, nutrition-wise, you may not get real valuefor the food by time you want to eat it,” theconsultant counsels.Apart from the effects of warm temperature, hesays even in the case of home-made foods suchas beans and rice, for instance, they maybecome dehydrated, especially if they are notproperly covered or sealed.

To guard against this, Oladimeji advises that youuse tight-lid containers or ziplock bags thatprevent foods from getting too much freezerexposure.The nutritionist also notes that when foods staytoo long in the refrigerator or freezer, the taste islikely to be affected; and, in the case of cookedfoods, they may become soggy and unable tohold water.Worse still, Oladimeji says, sometimes you bringout an ice cream from the freezer and what younotice is that it has picked up the flavours ofother things that were stacked with it in thefreezer! To prevent this, store foods according totheir groups.As we all know, vegetables are the worst hitwhen it comes to disadvantages associated withfood refrigeration. If vegetable absorbs too muchmoisture from the refrigerator, for instance, it canbecome unattractive and limp.“Consequently, they can lose flavour, colour,vitamins and minerals; and they can becometough,” the nutritionist says.As for dairy products such as milk, cheese andyoghurt, careless handling may expose you toserious food-borne pathogens such as listeria,salmonella and E. coli, all of which are quitedeadly and could kill.Oladimeji also says despite refrigeration, somemicroorganisms, such as psychrophiles, whichmake foods to spoil easily, may still thrive,especially where the fridge is opened toofrequently, or where the electricity supply is notable to keep the freezer or fridge cool enough forwhat they are supposed to doHe advises against freezing cooked foods for twolong because, he says, the sodium (salt)concentration tends to concentrate aftersometime; and that’s why you may be surprisedthat your food is suddenly saltier than it waswhen you first stored it.He also counsels against storing raw and cookedor ready-to-eat foods together, saying the rawfoods can contaminate the ready-to-eat foodsespecially.He notes that fridges or freezers come withcompartments for fruits, vegetables and otherfood items, saying using them as appropriateand under the right temperature will preservefood.The bottom line: Don’t shop for too much food.One week’s supply is okay at a time.

Mobile phonesThe task force of the Phone and Allied Products’Dealers Association of Nigeria has apprehendeda Chinese, Mr. Lin Tian Huan, for being inpossession of over 10, 000 substandard mobilephones.The PAPDAN, an umbrella body of phone dealersin the country, said Huan belonged to a Chinesecartel responsible for flooding Computer Villagein Lagos with fake and substandard mobilephones passed for Nokia and Samsung brands.According to the association’s task force team,the suspect was nabbed at No. 4 CornerstoneEstate, opposite Abiola Gardens, Alausa, Ikeja,Lagos.The team told our correspondent that Huan’sarrest was part of its effort to rid ComputerVillage of the menace of fake phones.Upon questioning at the market’s (ComputerVillage) police post, it was discovered that Huanhad illegally imported over 10,000 pieces ofdifferent models of mobile phones products intothe country.PAPDAN’s President, Mr. Iyke Nwosu, said theassociation was committed to assisting theStandards Organisation of Nigeria to eradicatethe menace of substandard products at theComputer Village.While explaining the steps the association hastaken to rid the market of counterfeit products,Nwosu said that PAPDAN provided an office forSON officials for the establishment of a marketdesk.“Two staff of SON were subsequently deployedto operate from the office in order to mutuallyfight substandard products,” he said.He said, “Besides, PAPDAN facilitated a joint tripfor SON’s top management to China where theyvisited some phone factories and met with over65 owners of phone factories to ensure thatthese factories no longer manufacture and importsubstandard phones into the Nigerian market.”Nwosu also explained that the association andall importers of mobile phones at the ComputerVillage market agreed that from July 1, 2014, allmobile phones that would be sold in Nigeriawould be products that had been duly registeredwith SON.These products, he said, “must have brand namemarks.” According to him, passed off mobilephones, such as Nokia and Samsung products,will not be stocked and displayed in storesowned by PAPDAN members.“In addition, the group agreed that all mobilephone brands sold in the Nigerian market neededto have a functional service centre, which wouldcater to “after sales services.“It, however, warned that the joint task force ofthe SON and PAPDAN would confiscate anddestroy all products that lacked theserequirements,” the PAPDAN president said.Nwosu added that PAPDAN’s partnership withthe SON had led to the registration of over 30phone brands in the market. Some of the mobilephone brands that have passed SON’scomprehensive e-product registrations areGowin, M’horse, Bontel, XGP, Tukaro, Q7, andSoloking. Others are U-Boss, Oktec, Maxtel, BML,MBO, Teemur, Aus, Mi-phone, Opsson, and MTK.Admet, H-mobile, DXD, Teenic, Simba, Ucall,Treesky, and Gionee and Kenxinda are theothers.When contacted, the new Police Public RelationsOfficer in Lagos State, Mr. Kenneth Nwosu, saidno Chinese was handed over to the police.“However, there was a suspicion to that effectby traders who later let the man go after theywere convinced that what the man had weresamples,” the PPRO said.

Monday, 29 September 2014

In an interview with Ryan Seacrest today, JasonDerulo said he and longtime girlfriend JordinSparks broke up because he felt so muchpressure to settle down..."What happened...in a nutshell, there was alot of tension in the relationship for a lot ofdifferent reasons... There was a lot ofpressures of marriage. There was a lot ofarguing and stuff like that that just weighedon our relationship over time. When youstop having more good times than bad badtimes, it’s time to call it quits. It becomessomething that is unhealthy. I'm not one tothrow my business out on the street, but Ithought it was important because thingsare getting a little out of hand.To be fair, it was not just from her either.It was kind of from everybody. That’s notthe sole reason, but it definitely played apart. I'll be lying if I said that we parted ingood terms. But it's not a bad situation.There’s no bad blood. We didn’t end off ona weird way or a negative way.' Jasonsaid...

From left: Presidential steward, Onu IsaacMichael, Taxi driver, Imeh Usuah and trafficwarden Cpl Solomon Dauda, conferred with theMember of the Order of the Niger, MON and MFR,today. Usuah was honored for returningN18million a passenger forgot in his taxi. Thethree of them were also given houses in Abuja.

The man who designed the Nigeria flag, PaTaiwo Akinkunmi was decorated as an Officer ofthe Order of the Federal Republic, OFR, byPresident Jonathan today September 29th, 55years after designing the flag.He wasn't only given an award today, presidentJonathan also said he will be placed on alifetime salary that must be in line with what anySenior Special Advisers earns.No other government before this governmentfound Pa Akinkunmi worthy of a national awardor a lifetime salary. So happy for him.

Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in EdoState have described President GoodluckJonathan as an exceptional leader who should begiven another four years to continue his goodwork.The Edo PDP Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, whilespeaking with newsmen in Monday in Benin,affirmed that “nobody is contesting PresidentJonathan’s second endorsement”, adding that,“PDP members have agreed on his performanceand sincerity.”Similarly, former PDP candidate for Edo Stategovernorship seat, Gen. Charles Airhiavbere saidthe Jonathan’s contribution in area of grass-rootdevelopment made him to win his way into thehearts of many PDP members and Nigerians atlarge.“You agree with me that when a leader bringsunity and development, irrespective of the terrainand party affiliation, you will want to trust andchoose him for continuation”, Airhiavbere said.In his own view, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, theformer Edo NDDC Commissioner, said “PresidentJonathan is not just a leader, but one who hascomplemented the efforts of the pastadministrations in the area of infrastructuredevelopment”.Also speaking, Sen. Ehigie Uzamere said, “PDPcampaigned on quality of a leader, what to lookat when making a choice and how to vote, for thevote to be valid.“Jonathan stands for quality; he has performedand still performing; we are just comfortable withhim for the second time.”He, however, warned against those selling theirvotes, adding that the choice of their leaderswould determine the development in theircommunities.“Do not vote for imported candidates who do notknow the meaning of unity and development butsomebody who knows and feels the pains of whatyou are in need of, or lacking like Jonathan.“Cast your vote according to your conscience notfor sentiment; and by so doing, development willextend to your door steps”, he advised.

Tonto Dikeh Has been off the radar for awhile but she had sprung up again.The controversial Nollywood actress andsinger –Tonto Dike who has a great influenceon social media platforms has somethings tosay about fraudsters.We recently have witnessed a high influx ofimpersonators in the last couple of years.People opening fake accounts with names ofpopular celebrities to defraud theirunsuspecting fans.Tonto Dikeh also seems to have receivedseveral complaints from her fans about theexistence of fake social media accounts inher name and she took to her Instagrampage this morning to issue a disclaimer.‘Hi Folks, Please Note that These Accountsare the Only Official accounts of Miss TontoDikeh aka #POKO on Social Media*Pleasebeware of fraudsters AND Online scammers,There are numerous complains about myfans been scammed and this must stop.Taking Out my time to warn you all, becauseam highly against it (It really is a damagingAct) and we can Put a stop to it bySpreading the word and saving a friend orloved ones from been a victims. God blessyou as you Repost/RETWEET** Twitter-@TONTOLET INSTAGRAM- @TONTOLETFACEBOOK- www.facebook.com/tontodikehofficialfanpage(verified) #Thanks’.…